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The Acme Task System

A task system for use with classic Traveller.

("Acme" is just a placeholder until I think up a name for it.)

The Acme Task Profile (ATP)

The Acme Task Profile (ATP) is a brief description of a formal task. It follows this format:

Task: TN; RS, RC; qualifiers.

The components are:

Task: A description of the task, typically starting with an inifinitive.
TN (Target Number): A number followed by a plus sign. This is the adjusted total that must be rolled on 2D for the task to succeed.
RS (Relevant Skill): The name of a skill that is relevant to the success of the task. The character's skill level is added to the task roll as a positive DM.
RC (Relevant Characteristic): The name of the characteristic that is relevant to the success of the task. A characteristic check (CC) is made againt this characteristic that may result in a DM to the task roll.
qualifiers: Additional qualifiers to the task. e.g. "uncertain"

For example:

To repair the air/raft: 9+; Gravitics, Int; uncertain.

The Characteristic Check (CC)

If the ATP lists a RC, a characteristic check (CC) must be made before the task roll. Roll 2D. If the result is less than or equal to the RC, the character gains a +1 DM to the task roll.

If the RC is 12+, the character automatically gets the +1 DM. (Because every roll on 2D will be less than or equal to 12.) If, however, the CC is less than or equal to the RC minus 10, the character gains a +2 DM to the task roll.

Characteristic Check (CC): 2D
If CC ≤ RC, +1 DM to task roll.
If CC ≤ (RC - 10), +2 DM to task roll.

Expertise

If the ATP lists a RS, the character gains a +1 DM per skill level.

If the character does not have the relevant skill (not even at skill level zero), a -5 DM is applied to the task roll.

Expertise
+1 DM per RS skill level
-5 DM if the character lacks the RS

The Task Roll

To make a task roll, roll 2D. Add any DMs, including any DM from the characteristic check. If the adjusted total equals or exceeds the target number, the attempt succeeded. Otherwise it failed.

Task Roll
2D + DMs ≥ TN

Faster Play

In practice, each player should have two pairs of distinct dice. One pair should be declared for use with characteristic rolls & the other for task rolls. e.g. A player may have two red dice for characteristic checks & two white dice for task rolls. This way, all four dice can be rolled at once, speeding play.

Players are encouraged to be consistent about which dice are used for which rolls.

Special Situations

Uncertain Tasks

If a task is uncertain, the player rolls only 1D & the referee rolls the other die in secret.

The results are summarized in the table below. The numbers across the top represent the player's roll. The numbers down the left represent the TN minus all DMs.

Uncertain Tasks
	1	2	3	4	5	6
3+	uncertain	certain success	certain success	certain success	certain success	certain success
4+	uncertain	uncertain	certain success	certain success	certain success	certain success
5+	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain	certain success	certain success	certain success
6+	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain	certain success	certain success
7+	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain	certain success
8+	certain failure	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain
9+	certain failure	certain failure	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain
10+	certain failure	certain failure	certain failure	uncertain	uncertain	uncertain
11+	certain failure	certain failure	certain failure	certain failure	uncertain	uncertain
12+	certain failure	certain failure	certain failure	certain failure	certain failure	uncertain

Hasty Tasks

If a character wants to try to accomplish a task faster than usual, apply a -2 DM.

(Other topics to be covered: safe, hazardous, mishaps, unskilled OK, contests)

Informal Tasks

While formal tasks defined by a ATP can be useful, most task roll will be informal: Created ad hoc, with no written ATP.

Choosing Target Numbers

The following table giving some difficulty adjectives & corresponding TNs may be helpful in selecting a target number for informal tasks. Referees should not feel constrained by these examples, however.

Example TNs
Easy	Average	Difficult	Formidable	Staggering	Impossible	Hopeless
4+	6+	8+	10+	12+	14+	16+

Also helpful in selecting TNs is the probabilities:

TN Probabilities
TN minus DMs:	3+	4+	5+	6+	7+	8+	9+	10+	11+	12+
Chance of success:	97%	92%	83%	72%	58%	42%	28%	17%	8%	3%

When in doubt, just use 8+.

Choosing Assets

While it falls upon the referee to choose which skills & characteristics are relevant to a task, players may advocate the assets they believe to be relevant to the task.

When more than one asset seems equally applicable, the referee may choose the one most favorable to the character attempting the task.

Other Task Systems

The following table can be used to convert task profiles from some other task sytems to target numbers for the Acme task system.

Difficulty Conversion
Acme TN	MT	TNE	T4	BITS
4+	Simple	Easy	Easy	Easy
6+	Routine	Average	Average (2D)	Average
8+	Difficult	Difficult	Difficult (2.5D)	Difficult
10+	-	Formidable	Formidable (3D)	Formidable
12+	Formidable	Impossible	Impossible (4D)	Staggering
14+	Impossible	-	-	Impossible
16+	-	-	-	Hopeless

Beyond the Task System

While a task system can be a useful framework, referees shouldn't be bound by it. Tasks could have multiple RCs or RSs. The task roll could be made with three or more dice. There could be mulitple degrees of success.